The present invention relates to a food handling glove, and, more particularly, to a glove useful for handling cooked meats and other like food products during slicing and preparation.
Professional chefs and food handlers invariably receive burns and cuts while preparing cooked food for their customers. Burns often result when removing food, such as roasts, briskets, and other types of meat which are prepared whole and carved or sliced after cooking, from the oven or stovetop, particularly when cooking with hot water or cooking oil. Subsequent preparation of such cooked foodstuffs, for example slicing into individual portions, requires that the large, cooked piece be secured, to allow safe and effective cutting. Fingers and hands can become scarred from burns and cuts that result from direct handling of cooked roasts and other type of meats heated to high temperatures, and from improper or unreliable securement of the food during cutting thereof.
Such securement has generally been heretofore accomplished by sticking a fork into the piece of meat to hold it in place during the slicing process. In addition to contributing to the incidence of cuts and abrasions to the hands and fingers, this method of securement can be messy, and invariably results in abrading and tearing of the meat. Meats, such as roasts and other cuts cooked whole in the above described manner, are generally sliced as needed on repeated occasions, and returned to a cooking vessel until further portions are again sliced form the remaining piece. Such repeated piercing of the meat with a fork for securement further exacerbates the problem of tearing and abrasion of the meat.
Although conventional safety gloves are available for protecting hands from burns and cuts, they are generally bulky, and usually are worn only for purposes of handling cooking vessels or food service equipment. Their practical use in preparation of cooked meats has therefore not been heretofore feasible.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a food handling glove which overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art as they pertain to safe and reliable handling and securement of cooked meats and other heat-prepared foodstuffs.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a food handling glove which would protect a cook from painful burns to the hands and fingers and would increase the safety conditions in any professional kitchen.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a food handling glove designed to hold cooked meats firmly in place with one hand, while slicing the meat with the other hand.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide a food handling glove which is light weight, timesaving, practical, economical to produce and convenient and easy to use.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a food handling glove which provides a user with insulation against heat and moisture, and which can be washed to maintain a desired level of sanitation.
In accordance with these and other objects of the invention, there is provided a specially designed glove that eases the task of handling cooked meat and other like foodstuffs for slicing purposes. The invention finds application in both consumer and commercial kitchens. The food handling glove comprises a glove structure fittable to the hand of a user, an outer surface of which presents a series of tiny teeth extending from the fingers and palm area, and of suitable profile to hold a piece of meat or other cooked food product in place, particularly while slicing it with the other hand.
Briefly stated, the food handling glove in accordance with the invention is designed to effectively secure a piece of meat in place during the slicing process by the specially designed nature of the series of tiny protrusions (or teeth) incorporated onto its fingers and palm area. The user would simply place his/her gloved hand on top of a roast or other unsliced piece of meat or the like, causing the teeth to be embedded a minimal distance into the yieldable surface of the roast to secure it in place during the slicing process, advantageously without puncturing the surface, but rather compressively depressing the meat the being secured at each location in correspondence with the teeth. As a result, slippage of the piece being sliced, which has heretofore contributed greatly to the incidence of painful cuts and abrasions to the hands and fingers, would be significantly inhibited. Use of the glove according to the invention represents a safer and more effective alternative to using a fork to hold a piece of meat in place. Tearing and major abrading of the meat is also avoided, since use of a fork or other utensil, which invasively pierces the meat to a significant degree, is obviated by use of the glove. The glove is also easier to use and manipulate than a fork, and therefore saves time and effort in a kitchen.
In an embodiment in accordance with the invention, the glove which serves as a gripping device for holding onto and/or securing cooked meats during the slicing process, as described above, is advantageously provided with at least one thermal insulating layer which is effective for protecting a cook from receiving painful burns to the hands and fingers when handling hot meats and foodstuffs. Hot meat could be handled safely and firmly with the use of a glove in accordance with this embodiment. Use of such food handling glove would thereby increase the safety conditions and productivity in professional as well as consumer kitchens.
In a further embodiment in accordance with the invention, the aforementioned food handling glove includes a moisture barrier for preventing or inhibiting passage of liquids in contact with surface portions of the glove to the wearer""s hand. Such feature achieves a greater comfort level, as well as providing further protection against burns when the liquid is hot.
In accordance with an advantageous further embodiment of the invention, the teeth provided on the fingers and palm regions of the glove are configured to have a profile which locally penetrates or, alternatively, simply compresses, a surface of the meat a minimal distance, i.e., far enough to provide the desired gripping effect, but not to an extent causing unnecessary abrading, roughening or tearing of the surface of the meat after extended periods of handling thereof. Furthermore, the teeth are advantageously configured to be free of barbed, hooked or other structure which might bind to the meat when gripping pressure is released after a slicing operation, and which might therefore tend to abrade the surface thereof.
It is contemplated that the food handling glove in accordance with various embodiments of the invention can be produced easily using conventional and readily available materials and manufacturing processes. No new production technology would be required, making its implementation commercially attractive. The moisture barrier layer of the glove, conveniently, although not necessarily, disposed as an intermediate layer, is produced of a suitable material, for example, rubber or polyvinylchloride. The innermost layer, in contact with the wearer""s hand, is advantageously formed from insulated cotton or other soft natural or synthetic material that can be cut, sewn, or otherwise stitched as desired. A food handling glove so produced is easy to use, comfortable to wear, convenient, safe, and would provide a greater level of sanitation than using bare hands while handling food. Moreover, the glove is also lightweight, heat-resistant, and cut-resistant, providing further advantage to the wearer, whether in a commercial setting or when used by a household consumer. The glove in accordance with the invention could be produced commercially in small, medium, and large sizes, as well as in a variety of colors and styles, thereby further enhancing commercial appeal.
The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate the same elements.